1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wire storage devices, and more particularly to wire storage devices for holding multiple rolls of wire.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The construction of homes, commercial buildings and industrial buildings is a labor intensive industry and electrical service must be provided in virtually all of these buildings. There is a continuing need for improved means of installing the electrical wiring in these and other locations.
Ladders are used to enable the electrician or electrical worker to reach the heights of the rafters, ceilings and upper portions of the walls. Spools of wire must be left on the floor or carried with the worker. It is difficult to draw wire upward from the floor, and it is cumbersome to hold the spool of wire and maintain balance on the ladder. The process is especially tedious where several sizes or types of wire are required in a single location. Floor racks mounted on wheels or casters have been devised to hold the spools of wire, but the user must position both the ladder and the rack each time a change in location is made.
The spools of wire have been attached to standard ladders by cutting parallel notches in the side rails of the rear support of the ladder across which a shaft can be positioned. Spools of wire are slipped onto the shaft so that the wire can be unwound directly from the ladder, thereby avoiding the necessity to repeatedly get off the ladder to unwind wire or move the spool. The creation of notches in the side rails may decrease the strength of the ladder, leading to breakage and injury. Also, the shaft can pull out of the notches as the wire is drawn from the spool, spilling the spools of wire.
It would be desirable to provide an improved wire storage construction that could be moved in unison with a ladder. It would further be desirable to provide a wire storage construction that is interchangeable between ladders. It would also be desirable to provide a wire storage construction that would hold the spools of wire securely in place. It would further be desirable to provide a wire storage construction that increases, rather than decreases, the strength of the ladder.